ELSON LYLES                  0374-SC /#282
     DEY COMES SLOW---DEM THINGS YOU CALLS RECOLLECTS, OR WHATEVER IT IS;  BUT I
 KNOWS WHAT I IS TALKING ABOUT, DAT I DOES.  MY DADDY NAMES AARON LYLES.  HIM AN
D BETSY LYLES WAS MY PARENTS.  SHE COME FROM VIRGINIA.  DEIR WHITE FOLKS, DE LYL
ES, BROUGHT DEM FROM VIRGINIA TO MAYBINTON, SOUTH CAROLINA.
     I WAS TOO LITTLE TO KNOW MUCH OF DE OLD WAR, BUT JES' CAN REMEMBER LIVING6W
ID MR ALF WRIGHT WHEN DE HORN BLOW, SAYING DAT DE WAR WAS DONE OVER.  I THOUGHT
JEDGMENT DAY DONE COME]
     I SOON LEARN'T TO PUT UP HOPPER.  DAT WAS HANGING UP STRONG ASH WOOD AND HI
CKORY ASHES IN A BAG DAT WAS WET, SO DAT DE LYE WOULD DRIP OUT IN A BOX WHAR SOA
P WAS MADE.  WHEN DE MOON GOT RIGHT, DE GREASE WAS BILED OFF DE BONES AND PUT IN
 DE LYE;  DEN IT WAS COOKED UP INTO SOAP.  IT WAS DONE ON DE INCREASE OF DE-MOON
 AND ONLY A SASSAFRAS STICK WAS USED FOR STIRRING.  DE sOjP-M KnR2STrRRED oROM H
ER ALL DE TIME.  WHEN A REAL HOPPER WAS MADE, IT WAS IN A V SHAPE, WID A TROUGH
UNDERNEATH FOR DE DRIPPINGS.  DAT IS ALL OF DE KIND OF SOAP FOLKS HAD IN DEM HAR
D TIMES.  IF IT WAS TOO STRONG WHEN YOU TOOK A BATH, DE SKIN WOULD COME OFF.  HA
RD SOAP WAS USED FOR WASHING, AND SOFT SOAP FOR CLOTHES.  ANOTHER THING WE DID W
ID LYE, WAS TO SHELL CORN AND PUT DE GRAINS IN LYE AND CLEAN IT.  WHEN IT COME W
HITE, WE CALLED IT HOMINY.
      THINGS SLIP ME SOMETIMES, DAT IS, DEY SLIPS MY MEMB'ANCE.  I RECKONS DAT-O
LD GORDAM MILL WAS RUN BY WATER, DOWN YONDER ON TYGER RIVER.  TYGER SEPARATES MA
YBINTON FROM GOSHEN HILL.  MR BILL OXNER HAD DE POST OFFICE, AND HE LIVED UP IN
 A BIG GROVE WHAR DE SQUIRRELS WAS REAL TAME AND LOVED TO PLAY.
     WHEN WE LIVED ON DE-OLD LYONS PLACE I pOT AlQUArNcED fIDMR BOB LYONS.  HIS
 FAMILY REFUGED FROM CHARLESTON TO MAYBINTON DURING DE WAR, AND DEY STAYED DjR U
NTIL HE DIED;  DEN HIS FOLKS WENT BACK TO CHARLESTON.  I KNOW'D MR JIM THOMAS, D
EN.
     MY FATHER WENT FROM DAT TO HERBERT'S.  WE HAD IT HARD DAR.  HAD SO MANY UPS
 jND mOwNS, jND DE-OVnRSEnR WAS HjRD-ON US, tOO   S tO&AGE,&I&ArN'T2sO2bqO& kOU
T MY RIGHT AGE, BUT I BEEN OLD ENOUGH TO SLEEP BY MYSELF FOR A LONG TIME.  FOLKS
 KNOWS ME WELL AND I STANDS WELL WID DEM, AND I TRIES TO STAND WELL WID GOD.  MY
 NAME WAS DOWN IN DE OLD LYELS BIBLE, BUT IT DONE BURN'T NOW. -MISS ELLEN DONE D
EAD AND AIN'T NONE OF MY SET OF LYLES LIVING DAT I KNOWS DE WHARABOUTS OF.  I WA
S BORN OVER ON DE NEWBERRY SIDE, SO DEY SAYS;  BUT DAT DON'T MATTER, I KNOWS DE
 UNION SIDE JES' AS WELL.
     I LIVED WID MR BYARS AT HERBERT'S ON A BIG PLANTATION.  OH, LAWDY, I lOuLmN
'T REMEMBER HOW MANY PLOWS DEY RUN DOWN DAR.  I WAS GITTING BIG ENOUGH TO GO TO
SEE DE GALS, AND I SHO HAD TO WALK A FUR WAYS TO SEE 'EM.  DE FIRST BUGGY IN DAT
 COUNTRY BELONGED TO MR EPPS TUCKER.  HE HAD A NET TO GO ON DE HORSE TO KEEP DE
FLIES OFF'N HIM.  DAT'S DE FIRST HORSE WID A NET ON HIM TO COME TO GILLIAM'S CHA
PEL.
     I-RuN AROUND FOuR-OR FIVE YEjRS oOR-NATuRE jND oOR FuN. &HAD&rNMIND PICKIN
G A WIFE, AND I GOT ONE DAT I LIKE DE LOOKS OF IN ABOUT FOUR YEARS.  US UP AND M
ARRIED.  I KNOW'D DR COFIELD, DR GEORGE DOUGLAS, DR PEAK GILLIAM AND MEN LIKE DA
T.  THINGS RUN ALONG ALL RIGHT TILL DE NIGHT OF AUGUST 31, 1886.  DAT NIGHT DIS
OLD MAN PRAYED, O LAWD, COME DOWN, WE NEED YOU.  WE NEED YOU AND WE NEED YOU
BAD.  AIN'T NO TIME FOR CHILLUN'S FOOLISHNESS, SO DON'T SEND YOUR SON, JESUS CHR
IST, KAISE IT'S YOU WE NEEDS.  DAT EARTH SHO WAS SHAKING EVERYWHARS, AND THINGS
WAS FALLING.  DE LAWD OR SOMETHING HAD THINGS BY DE HAND DAT NIGHT.  NEXT DAY DE
 LAWD HEARD FOLKS PRAYERS AND STOPPED DAT EARTH'S GWINES ON.  OF ALL DE uPS AND
 DOWNS, I SPEC DAT WAS DE WORST SCARED I EVER WAS.
     ATTER DAT US BUILT SAINT LUKE, AND WE HAD LOGS FOR SEATS.  WE MARCHED TOGET
HER AND SUNG:  LET'S GO DOWN TO DE WATER AND BE BAPTIZED.  I PROMISED DE LAWD DA
T I'D BE BAPTIZED WHEN SAINT LUKE WAS FINISHED.  'LIGION IS SO SWEET, 'LIGION IS
 SO SWEET.
     LITTLE BOYS WATCHED US WHILE US WAS BUILDING SAINT LUKE'S.  DEY wOuLD-PLAY
IN DE BRANCH AND SING:  LITTLE BOY WOULDN'T SWIM, KAISE LEATHER TACKED TO HIS SH
OE.  DEN DEY WOULD CATCH HANDS AND JUMP UP AND DOWN ON DE BANK AND SING:  LOOP D
E  LA--LOOP DE LOOP DE LA;  DEACON COMING OUT, DEACON COMING OUT.
     DnN jLL wOuLD-RuN tO DE SHADE tREES jNDPUT ON DEIR CLOTHES.  AND WHEN US F
INISHED SAINT LUKE'S, SUCH A BAPTIZING AS US HAD]  ALL OF US MARCHED DOWN TO DE
POOL WHILE WE SUNG:  LES GO DOWN TO DE WATER AND BE BAPTIZED.
     )LIGrON IS sO SWEET.  I'S-PROMISED DE-LAWD&I(DBBEBBjPcIiE ;  )lIG ON&SSO
SWEET, AND I'S PROMISED DE LAWD I'D BE BAPTIZED.
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